760628 - Lecture SB 07.06.14 - New Vrindaban, USA

Lectures by Date, 1976

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

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760628SB-NEW VRINDAVAN - June 28, 1976 - 21.57 Minutes

Pradyumna: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. (Prabhupāda and devotees repeat) (leads chanting, etc.)

kuṭumba poṣāya viyan nijāyur

na budhyate 'rthaṁ vihataṁ pramattaḥ

sarvatra tāpa-traya-duḥkhitātmā

nirvidyate na sva-kuṭumba-rāmaḥ

(SB 7.6.14)

Translation: (03:19) "One who is too attached cannot understand that he is wasting his valuable life for the maintenance of his family. He also fails to understand that the purpose of human life, a life suitable for realization of the Absolute Truth, is being imperceptibly spoiled. However, he is very cleverly attentive to seeing that not a single farthing is lost by mismanagement. Thus although an attached person in material existence always suffers from threefold miseries, he does not develop a distaste for the way of material existence."

Prabhupāda:

kuṭumba poṣāya viyan nijāyur

na budhyate 'rthaṁ vihataṁ pramattaḥ

sarvatra tāpa-traya-duḥkhitātmā

nirvidyate na sva-kuṭumba-rāmaḥ

(SB 7.6.14)

So, more we become implicated in this material world, more we suffer from the threefold miseries, adhyātmika, adhibhautika, adhidaivika. But by the grace of māyā we forget them on account of our pleasing atmosphere in the family—kuṭumbha-rāmaḥ. Therefore it is said, ramante yoginaḥ anante (CC Madhya 9.29). Those who are yogīs . . . there are many different types of yogīs. Of all of them, bhakta-yogī, ramante yoginaḥ anante. The difference between yogī and bhogī . . . there are two classes. Bhogī means those who are trying to enjoy this material world, they are called bhogī. And there is another word, rogī. Rogī means diseased. Neither yogī nor a bhogī. Yogī means transcendentalist, trying to go back to home, back to Godhead, they are called yogī. And those who are only interested with this material happiness, they are called bhogī. And those who are neither of them, they are called rogī. So those who are yogī, they are first class.

yoginām api sarveṣāṁ

mad-gatenāntarātmanā

śraddhāvān bhajate yo māṁ

sa me yuktatamo mataḥ

(BG 6.47)

"Of all the yogīs," yoginām api sarveṣāṁ mad-gatenāntarātmanā, "always thinking of Kṛṣṇa," śraddhāvān, "very faithful," bhajate mām, "always engaged in My service, he is first-class yogī."

So our business is how to become yogī, bhakta-yogī. That is the mission of life. Unfortunately, we are not given the opportunity. It is the duty of the guardians, family, natural guardian, father and mother, and political guardian, the government, the teacher, the guru; it is the duty to give facility—facility for achievement of the highest goal of life. Unfortunately, it is always . . . but at the present moment, on account of Kali-yuga, they do not know what is the aim of life, how the dependents should be trained up. It is the duty of the king to train up the citizens. This is . . . everything is explained in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. And the first business is how to lead men to the highest perfection of life. That is called siddhi. Siddhi. Siddhi means highest perfection of life. Saṁsiddhiṁ paramaṁ gataḥ (BG 8.15). There are different kinds of siddhis. (noise in background) (aside) What is that? Saṁsiddhiṁ paramaṁ gataḥ. There are different kinds of siddhis. The yogīs, the mystic yogīs, they also try to possess some siddhi—animā, laghimā, mahimā, prāpti, īśitā, vaśitā. Eight kinds of siddhis. But such siddhis, all material.

So in the modern age, advancement of material civilization, they also do not care for these siddhis, material siddhis. Just like laghimā. Laghimā-siddhi, the yogīs, they become so light that they can float in the air. So nowadays you have got airplane. The yogī can float alone in the air. Now five hundred passengers, they can float in the air. So there is no need of such yoga, yoga-siddhi. The science, the material science of craftsmanship, mechanical, they have done it. Or formerly these things were very magical. Still, the so-called yogīs, they are trying to achieve such perfection. Sometimes they can float in the air, they can walk on the water, they can get anything they desire, prāpti.

Prāpti . . . in my childhood there was my teacher. He said that he had his guru, a yogī. So he told me that his spiritual master, yogī, he inquired from his disciple, "What do you want to eat?" So he said that "We want to eat some pomegranate from Kabul." So he said, "Yes, you can get it. Go into the room and you'll find." So they found a bunch of, I mean to say, pomegranate just fresh, taken from the tree. This is called prāpti. The yogīs, they can get all these facilities, prāpti siddhi. Īśitā, they can keep anyone under his control. Īśitā, vaśitā . . . there are eight kinds of aṣṭa-siddhi. But that is not perfection of life. Caitanya-caritāmṛta-kaja says, bhukti-mukti-siddhi-kāmi-sakali 'aśānta' kṛṣṇa-bhakta-niṣkāma, ataeva 'śānta' (CC Madhya 19.149). Bhukti, means karmis, they are also wanting something, material success. Mukti, the jñānīs, they want liberation, to merge into the existence of Brahman. And siddhi, the yogīs . . . so everyone wants something. Therefore they cannot get peace. That is not possible. If you want something, then you have to struggle for it. But kṛṣṇa-bhakta niṣkāma. Kṛṣṇa-bhakta does not want anything; they simply want to be engaged in the service of the Lord. That is their satisfaction. That is the aim of life. Unfortunately, we are not educated, we are not given training. Prahlāda Mahārāja's subject matter is kaumāra ācaret prājño dharmān bhāgavatān iha (SB 7.6.1). From the very beginning of life, the children should be educated in bhāgavata-dharma. That is the subject matter.

So he's explaining in different ways. Kuṭumba-poṣāya viyan nijāyur na budhyate 'rthaṁ vihataṁ pramattaḥ. So without fulfillment of our life's mission, generally we become involved in maintaining the family. And all of a sudden death appears, then finished all our attempts. According to karma, we have to accept another body, maybe human body or not human body. In this way we become entrapped, and sarvatra tāpa-traya-duḥkhitātmā. Tāpa-traya. Traya means three, and tāpa means tribulation, suffering. So tāpa-traya, three kinds of tribulations: adhyātmika, adhibhautika, adhidaivika. Pertaining to the body, we feel so many troubles due to the body, due to the mind. Then adhibhautika, troubles offered by other living entities, and adhidaivika, troubles offered by nature or the demigods. In this way, sarvatra. It is not that in India there is tāpa-traya and in America there is no tāpa-traya. No, in America there is tāpa-traya. "All right, I shall go to the heavenly planets." No, there is also tāpa-traya. Anywhere you go within this material world, as soon as you get this material body, then tāpa-traya will be there.

So therefore our mission of life is how to get out of this tāpa-traya, and Prahlāda Mahārāja is giving description how we remain involved in tāpa-traya. Sarvatra tāpa-traya-duḥkhitātmā. Repeatedly, tāpa-traya, and still na nirvidyate sva-kuṭumba-rāmaḥ. Especially those who are family men, it is very difficult. Therefore according to Vedic civilization, after fiftieth year, one should give up the family responsibility, vānaprastha—from vana; vana means forest. And from vana the word vāna has come. Prastha means "who has gone." Pañcaśordhvaṁ vanaṁ vrajet. Vanaṁ vrajet means to free from all family responsibility and prepare for going back to home, back to Godhead. But those who are too much attached to family life, na nirvidyate, being repeatedly frustrated, repeatedly they are put into trouble, still. But if one wants regular advancement of spiritual life, he must retire at the age of fifty. That is Vedic civilization. Not that unless one is killed, he's not going to retire. Even great personality like Mahatma Gandhi, he was seventy-eight years, and still he would not retire from this . . . political life means greater family life. A family man is interested with his family members, and a political leader is interested with the whole, a group of family. The principle is the same. Ordinary family man, he has to look after three, four members of the family, and a political leader is thinking that he's responsible for so many millions of men. The idea is the same: the extended family. But extended or diminished family, sva-kuṭumba-rāmaḥ, he's thinking, "I have to do something for them." But when death comes, you are unable to do anything; you have to immediately leave the scene. And according to the laws of nature you'll have to accept a body according to your karma. This is the law of nature.

So we should be very careful. This education is recommended by Prahlāda Mahārāja, should be given, just like these children, they are getting education, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. It will not go in vain. It is being impressed within the mind. Very fortunate children, they have got this association. Automatically, they are being trained up. That is Prahlāda Mahārāja's mission. He was talking among his class friends who were as small as these boys were there, five years old. So they were very much eager to play, but Prahlāda Mahārāja was asking them, "No, don't waste your time. Just be trained up in bhāgavata-dharma, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness." Bhāgavata-dharma means Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya Prabhupāda. (kirtan) (end)